I once asked Marilyn Milos, RN, founder and director of
NOCIRC, if there were some aspects of the circumcision issue that
she would rather not be aware of. She said, "No -- I want to be
aware of everything." It is to that mindset that Deeper Into
Circumcision: An Invitation to Awareness is addressed.

Some of the ways circumcision can affect a child's life are so
extreme -- so remote from the average person's experience and
awareness -- that there is almost no way for the average person
to become aware of them. One of the purposes of this book is to
help inquiring minds find information that might otherwise be
inaccessible to them.

One reader expressed concern about the "homosexual bias" in
the "Sexually Explicit Adult Resources" section, afraid that
perceiving the intact genitals rights movement as "primarily a
homosexual effort" -- an unwarranted notion -- might make some
fathers have their sons circumcised. What might seem like
homosexual bias is simply a reflection of the fact that the
homosexual press in this country, with its characteristic
openness, has documented some of the darker, heavier aspects of
the foreskin/circumcision controversy that the mainstream press
has rarely acknowledged. The main reason babies -- including
Jewish babies -- in this country are still being circumcised, I
think, is that their mothers are unaware of the facts
about the foreskin, circumcision, and how circumcision affects a
child's life that would make them refuse absolutely --
ab-so-lute-ly -- to let anyone circumcise their babies,
regardless how strongly the circumcised father or anyone else
insisted on it. (I made that statement to a woman at the
Third International Symposium on Circumcision, and she said, "I
agree. I'm Jewish and my son is intact.") This book, as its title
suggests, is an invitation to that awareness. In any case, most
parents, surely, if such were the choice, would rather have an
intact son whose foreskin was envied by males who were
circumcised than a circumcised son who envied the foreskins of
males who were intact. My heartfelt condolences to any child born
to parents who would prefer otherwise.

Another reader, who said she kept her copy of Deeper Into
Circumcision in a locked drawer, objected to the "sleaze and
vulgarity." This is a reference book. Its purpose is to document,
illuminate and help demystify as many facets, aspects and details
of its long-tabooed subject as possible, regardless of the source
or context. Those who prefer a more restricted, censored view are
free to read the publications of U.S. medical organizations, or
The New York Times. (The fact that one must go to sources
other than those publications to get accurate, comprehensive
information about an amputation performed on the sex organs of
more than a million babies in this country every year, should
itself be documented.) Facts are facts. Information is
information. Whether or not it's "politically
correct," "offensive," or in "good taste," is, in my view,
irrelevent. What I want to know -- and what I assume the readers
of this book want to know -- is: Is it true?

Deeper Into Circumcision is a guide -- not a catalog.
As a convenience to the reader, however, I've included ordering
information for those items I have ordering information for, and
I've made every reasonable effort to make sure the information is
accurate. It's up to the reader, however, to confirm the
availability, address and price of anything he or she might want
to order.

"\" before an entry means that the entry is not yet complete,
has not yet been confirmed for accuracy, or needs some other kind
of attention. I have included these entries on the assumption
that most readers would rather have partial information about an
entry -- if only to know that it exists -- than none at all.

">" before the name of an individual or organization at the
end of an entry means that the item in that entry can be ordered
from that individual or organization and that the address is
listed either under "Organizations" or elsewhere in the section
in which that entry is listed.

Items mentioned that are also listed as entries are printed in
Bold Small Caps.

Notes to the reader are enclosed in [brackets].

Notes to myself are enclosed in {braces}.

Many of the items listed are current and readily available.

The only items available from me are those listed under "John
A. Erickson" and those with ">" followed by my name after them.

Comprehensive bibliographies of the "standard literature" are
included in several of the books listed.

If your public library doesn't have a book you want, it might
be able to get it for you through inter-library loan.

Nothing in these pages is meant -- or should be construed --
as "medical advice." If you think you need medical advice, "see a
doctor."

Inclusion in Deeper Into Circumcision means only that I
am aware that the entry exists. It does not necessarily
constitute a recommendation or endorsement.

New information becomes available almost daily, and a work
like this is therefore continually in progress.

I welcome and appreciate comments, suggestions, additions,
corrections and updates.